Multi-Disciplinary Design and Implementation of a Mass Vaccination Clinic Mobile Application to Support...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Operations
• Health Informatics
• Public Health Systems

Background:

• Mass vaccination clinics are complex, multidisciplinary environments requiring efficient coordination.
• Effective communication and decision-making are crucial for managing vaccine inventory and patient flow.
• Vaccine waste and operational inefficiencies can arise from suboptimal coordination in these settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mobile application (app) to support end-of-day vaccine dose decision-making for stakeholders in mass immunization settings.
• To evaluate the usability and clinical implementation of the developed app among multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Contextual inquiry and 71.5 hours of observation informed app design.
• Rapid iterative testing and evaluation were employed for design validation and improvement.
• Usability and integration were assessed via observations, interviews, and the System Usability Scale.

Main Results:

• The app consolidated contextual factors to meet information and workload needs.
• Twenty-four participants across four clinics reported reduced stress and improved communication efficiency and satisfaction.
• The average System Usability Scale score was 87, indicating high usability.

Conclusions:

• Mobile applications hold significant potential for enhancing workflow efficiencies in vaccination clinics through improved information sharing and decision-making.
• Designing apps for established clinic cultures and ensuring usability are key to successful implementation and improved patient care.
• Further research is needed to investigate system-level adoption barriers and explore global implementation of such digital tools.